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An Ancient Geometry Problem Falls to New Mathematical Techniques
Three mathematicians show, for the first time, how to form a square with the same area as a circle by cutting them into interchangeable pieces that can be visualized.
Quantum Complexity Tamed by Machine Learning
If only scientists understood exactly how electrons act in molecules, they’d be able to predict the behavior of everything from experimental drugs to high-temperature superconductors. Following decades of physics-based insights, artificial intelligence systems are taking the next leap.
Machine Learning Gets a Quantum Speedup
Two teams have shown how quantum approaches can solve problems faster than classical computers, bringing physics and computer science closer together.
Mathematicians Prove 30-Year-Old André-Oort Conjecture
A team of mathematicians has solved an important question about how solutions to polynomial equations relate to sophisticated geometric objects called Shimura varieties.
Secrets of Early Animal Evolution Revealed by Chromosome ‘Tectonics’
Large blocks of genes conserved through hundreds of millions of years of evolution hint at how the first animal chromosomes came to be.
Why Triangles Are Easy and Tetrahedra Are Hard
The triangle angle sum theorem makes working with triangles easy. What happens when you can’t rely on it?
A Solution to the Faint-Sun Paradox Reveals a Narrow Window for Life
We might have a past faint sun to owe for life’s existence. This has consequences for the possibility of life outside Earth.
How the Physics of Resonance Shapes Reality
The same phenomenon by which an opera singer can shatter a wineglass also underlies the very existence of subatomic particles.
Researchers Build AI That Builds AI
By using hypernetworks, researchers can now preemptively fine-tune artificial neural networks, saving some of the time and expense of training.